Dirigible headlight



Feb- 17, 1931. G, z. MlcHAELs 1,792,503

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT Feb. 17, 1931.

G. z, MlcHAELs 1,792,503v

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT Flied March 25, 1929 2 sheets-sheet 2 I U|| p 45 Illu.y

Patented Feb. 17, 1931v UNITED As'lnexrss 'PATENT OFFICE f GEORGE Z. MICHAELSY, F NEW vYORK, N. Y.

DIRIGIBLE HEADLIGHT Y Application filed March l23, 1929. Serial No. 349,403.

vThis invention relates to headlights fervehicles and more particularly to a dirigible Vheadlight adapted to turn .when the steering 4*lo may be vapplied thereto without changes in Ythe conventional construction of theautomobilel and to allow the headlights to be disposed at opposite sides of the radiator and supported by a cross bar serving as a brace fo 15 mud guards of the automobiles. f

Another objectof the invention is topermit the headlights `to be adjusted by vertical tilting and firmly secured after being so adjusted l and thereby cause the headlightsto properly 2o project light forwardly. at a proper height and allow a roadway to be well illuminated. Another object of the invention is` to so connect the headlights with rotatable shafts constituting their posts that theymay be ad- 25 j ustedby horizontal turning in order to cause them to focus properly. e

Another object of the invention is to provide the rotatable posts of the headlights with bearings which maybe adjusted in order to 3o :prevent the posts from having vertical movement and thereby 'eliminatevibration e Another object of theinvention is Vto provide improved means-for connecting the turning lmechanism ofthe headlights with the Asteering gear of an automobileV and rpermit adjustments to be made. so'that whenfthe steering gear isV actuated :toV turn Vthe front `wheels of an automobile' when guiding the headlights V'will be turned to asimilar extent.

The invention is Aillustrated'in the accompanying drawings, whereinr f f; n i

Figure 1 isa front elevationshowing the improved dirigible headlights applied to an automobilegofa conventional construction.

Fig. 2 isan enlarged lview showing the improvedheadlightsand associated parts of the automobile partially in section and partially in side elevation, A j

Fig. 3'isgan enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line3-3 of Fig. 2,

" Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional viewitaken on the line it-4.0i Fig. 3, and

Fig. 5 is an enlarged View partlall in4 ele- -vation and partially in section and i lustrat ing the formation of the lever by means of v which the mainshaft of the apparatus is controlled.;` f f The aeromobile, Whieh ieindieetea in general by theV numerall, isof a conventional construction land includes the usual chassis having rside chassis bars 2supported above the front axle 3 by the usual springs 4.' The Vautomobile also includes the usual mud guards which extend'above the front steering wheels and these mud guards are braced by a bracingbar 7 which extends in front of thev radiator and'has its ends secured tothe skirts 9 of the mudguards. Y'

Gearing housings 10V aredisposed-at opposite sides of the chassis against the outer faces f of the chassis bars 2 andeach gear housing is provided with a neck 11V projecting from one side and passedl through an .opening formed in the chassis bar against which its housing'fts. These necks project inwardly from the chassis bars, as shown in Fig.- 3, and have their free end portions threaded in order to carry securing nuts12' by means of which the gear housings are tightlyv clamped to thechassis bars. -A shaft casing 13 extends between the chassis bars with. its ends threaded into the necks 11.- and intermediate its length theshaft casing is provided with a housing 14e slotted lin its lower portion, as shown at 15 so that a lever 16 carried by a shaft 17 extending axiallythroughthe casing 13 may projectV downwardly from the shaft casing.v The shaftcasing 13 Vand house ing 14 are orinedfin sections havingabutting ends formed `with iianges v'13,a and 14a. secured togetherby-removable fasteners 13b andle" and, therefore, the casing and housking may be `taken apart when'repairs orladjustments are necessary. Y rlhis also facilitates assemblage. The shaft. 17 is l also formed in sections designated 17a, 17b and 17c which are releasably secured to each other, the

ksections 17a and 17b having'adjoining ends overlapped and secured'by -a removableA fas tener and `the sectionslb and e 17c having flanges 17d at their adjacent ends between which the lever 16 is secured by removable fasteners 17C. By this arrangement the shaft may be easily set in place or removed. The lever 16 is hollow, as clearly shown in Fig. 5, and carries an extension 18 consisting of a bar slidably received in the lever and secured by bolts 19, which extend transversely through the bar and project through slots 2O formed in opposite side walls of the lever. Therefore, the extension bar maybe adjusted longitudinally and secured in a set position and the effective length of the lever controlled. The lower or'v free end of the extension bar 1S is pivoted to the forward end of a rod 21 which extends rearwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, and has its rear end secured to the arm 22 of the steering gear 23 by means of which the front wheels of the automobile are turned in order to guide it, and by an inspection of Fig. 2 it will be readily seen that by vertically adj Listing the extension 18 of the lever and securing it in a set position the extent to which the shaft 17 is rotated when the steering gear is actuated to turn the front wheels of an automobile while guiding will be controlled. The ends of the shaft 17 which may be referred to as the main sha-ft of the dirigible headlight actuating mechanism extend through the necks 11 into the gear housings and carry beveled gears or pinions 24 which are secured to the shaft in any desired manner.

Each of the headlights 25 is supported by means of a post 26 which extends vertically through a tubular casing 27 projecting upwardly from one of the gear housings 10. Each post extends downwardly into its gear housing and at its lower end carries a bevel gear or pinion 28 which meshes with a cooperating pinion 24 so that, when the main shaft 17 is rotated, rotary motion will be imparted to the post. It should be noted that the pinion carried by one post is secured thereon beneath the coojiierati'ng` pinion of other post engages the upper portion of its cooperating pinion. Therefore, when the main shaft is rotated in order to impart rotary motion to the two posts, these posts will be rotated in the same direction. The upper end of each casing 27 is engaged with the depending neck 29 of a cup 30 which rests upon the cross bar 7, and this cup is firmly'held to thecross bar by securing nuts 31 which, when tightened, will cause the roughened surfaces of the cross bar andcup to vbe held in firm frictional engagement with each other. Therefore, the cup will be prevented from turning. Adjacent the upper end of the shaft 26is provided ahead 32 which is rigid with the shaft and preferably formed integral therewith. This head is formed with an outer annular wall 33l de- .fining an annular pocket 34 to receive an inner annular wall 35 spaced from the walls of the cup 30 and when the shaft 26 is slipped downwardly through the cup 30 and casing or column 27 the head 32 rests upon bearing balls 36 carried by the cup 30 and the flanges 33 and 35 of the head and cup are disposed in overlapping relation to each other, as shown clearly in Fig. 3, with the upper edge of the flange 35 bearing against a felt washer 37 and the annular wall or flange 33 of the head resting upon a felt washer 38 disposed in the cup between the flange 35 of the cup and the walls thereof. After the post 26 -has been passed downwardly through its column or casing into the gear housing at the bottom of the column an adjustable roller bearing 39 is fitted about the post and this bearing is supported by a washer 40 and nuts 41 which are threaded upon the post. Therefore, the bearing 39 may be vertically adjusted until the post is prevented from having upward movement but at the same time allowed to turn easily. If anyof the parts become worn, it is merely necessary to remove the face plate 42 of the gear housing and the bearing maybe adjusted until the wear has been compensated for. A felt washer 43 rests upon the washer 40 about the bearing 39 where it is held by a. spring 44 and serves to prevent .grease from leaking past the fasher 40 and downwardly into the gear housing. By this arrangement grease which is fed into the upper portion of the gearing housing about the bearing 39 by means of a grease cup 45 will be prevented from leaking downwardly thereby eliminating waste of grease and also eliminating danger of the bearing not being properly lubricated. The washers 37 and 38 serve to prevent grease which is forced into the cup 30 by means of a grease cup 46 from werking out of the cup. AV certain amount of the grease may work past the feltwasher 37 but it will not be sufficient to work past the washer 38. Therefore, the head 32 will be permittedto turn easily in the vcup 30 when the headlights are vto be turned.

Each of the headlights is firmly secured to a yoke 47 and this yoke is provided with depending feet 48 through which are passed bolts 49 pivotally connecting them to varms 50 which project upwardly from a Iplate 51 at opposite sides of an opening formed centrally therein and through which the upper end of the post 26 projects. The plate 51 rests upon the upper surface of the head 32 and the contacting surfaces of the plate and head are roughened so that, when securingnuts 52 carried.A by the upper end of the post 26 are tightened, the plate will be firmly bound against the head and thereby cause this plate to rotate with' the post. By this arrangement the headlights will be caused to turn when the post to which they are cennected are rotated and, thcrefoie, the headthe two headlights may be ladjusted when tra installed anni light from the headlights j are directed straighty ahead of the autoinoshown and the columns through which the bile when it is moving forwardly and they may be similarly adjusted if found necessary at any other time. After the headlights have been adjusted, the securing nuts 52 are tightened and ordinarily the headlights will not slide out of proper position relative to vtheir posts. By loosening the bolts 49 theV headlights may be tilted ill a vertical direction until they properly illuminate a road without being liable to cause glaring lieadlights. It'will thus. be seen that the headlights may be vertically and horizontally adjusted so that light from themwill be pro` jected forwardly inproper focusl with each otherrand in proper angular relation to a ioad. A hood 53 is carried by the outer wall v35a of the cup 30 to -extend between` the cup and yoke 47 in enclosing relation to the arms 50 and feet 48 and notonly provide a goodappearance but serve to exclude dust and dirt. Each of these hoods consists of companion sections 54 and 55 which are hinged together, as shown at 56, and adapted to be releasably but securely held in position by a latch or lock 57 when set in place with the lower edge portions of the twoV sections engaged in a groove extending 'about the wall of the cup 30, as shown at 58. It will'thus-be seen that the hoods will be firmly held in place but can be easily removed if necessary.

When the dirigible headlights are i1istalled, they are applied tothe automobile as posts extend are supportedr by the bracing bar 7 with the headlights at opposite sides of the radiator. .The gear housings 10 are' secured to the chassisbars 2 and the shaft p 17 and its casing Vextend between the gear this shaft transmitted to the rotarypost 26.l

The securing nuts 52 may be loosenedY if it is found that the headlightsrdo not Vfocus properly and again tightened after necessary adjustment Yhas been made and by loosening the. bolts 49 the headlights may be tilted ver tically until light from the headlights illuminates a road without being liable to glare in the eyes of the driver of an approaching car.

vthe front 'wheels of the automobile.

VByraising or lowering the extension 18 the effective length of the lever may be controlled so that when the steering gear is actuated to turn the front wheels of the', automobile toward the right or left the headlights will be turned to a corresponding extent. Therefore, the headlights may be horizontally and vertically adjusted and also caused to turn toward the right or left in synchronisln with By'adjusting the nuts 40 and 41 wear maybe compensated for and vertical movement of the posts prevented. I have, therefore, provided dirigible headlights which m-ay be easily applied to automobiles of Vva conventional conr struction and have eliminated vertical vibration. v

AHave thus described the invention, clalm:

l; 'In a dirigible headlight mechanism, ro-

tatable headlight posts disposedvertically,I 'casings for said posts having cups at their upper ends to rest upon a support, headsati the upper ends of said post rotatably received `in said cups and resting upon the bottoms thereof'toV limit downward move-1,

ment'` of the post, the cups and h-eadshaving annular walls overlapped to prevent escape vof grease from the cups, headlight holding brackets supported upon said heads and rotatably adjustable thereon and having upper headlight engaging portions adapted to Vhe tilted vertically andsecured in set positions,

gear housings at the lower ends of said cas ings adapted Vto be secured lto the chassis of a vehicle, bearings for said post in said hous-f ine vertically adjustable and adapted to prevent upward movement of the posts, 'a shaft casing extending Y between said housings, a

- rotatable shaft in said shaft casing extending into said housing, intcrmeshing gears carried by the shaft and `posts within the gear housings, a lever extending from said shaft out of its casing,` an extension for said lever 2. In a. dirigible headlightstructure, rotatable posts disposedL vertically' and rotatably mounted, headlight holders carried by vrlongitudinally adjustable, and a rod pivoted to thenexten'sion ofsaid lever and; adapted to' f. .be connected with steering gear of a-Yvehlcle.

the upper ends of said posts, @ear housings"V 'Q receiving the `lower ends of said posts and adapted to be secured to- Vchassis bars of a` vehicle, a shaft casingextending Vbetween and secured to said housings, the "said shaft casing being formed in sections releasably joined: to/each other so that the upper half of the casing may be removed bodily, a rotary shaft extending through said casing Vinto said housings, the said shaft being formed in through sections releasably joined to eachV Viso steering gear of a vehicle whereby the shaft' will be rotated when the steering gear is actuated and the posts rotated to turn headlights carried by the posts.

3. ln a dirigible headlight structure, a pair of vertical posts mounted to rotate in anti-friction bearings, casings enveloping said posts to carry said bearings, means to adjust said bearings, interengaging oups formed respectively on said posts and casings, pacliings at the end edges of the cups, lamps fixed on the ends of said posts, connections between said posts to cause them to move in synchronisin, and means actuated by the steering gear of a vehicle to rotate said shafts.

4. In a dirigible headlight structure, vertical posts to rotatablysupport the headlights. said posts being` mounted in vertically spaced bearings, the upper bearing` consisting,`

of horizontal ball races with bearing balls interposed therebetween, the lower bearing` consisting*A of two bearing Cones with rollers interposed therebetween, one of the cones being' loosely mounted on the shaft, an adjusting nut on the shaft below the cone, a washer of greater diameter than the cone mounted between the nut and the cone, a. felt washer on the uppersid-e of said washer and a compression spring above the felt washer to held it in engagement with the other washer to prevent the escape of grease through the lower bearing.

The structure as set forth in claim 4f, in which the upper bearing` consists of a head mounted on the shaft and a support mounted on the vehicle, the head and the support having annular grooves therein which deine inner annular walls which constitute the ball races, and outer concentric annular walls which interlit the walls of one element with the grooves in the other, and a elt gasket interposed between the top of the wall and the bottom of the groove in each instance to form aV sea-led rotatable joint.

ln testimony whereof ailix my signature.

GEQRGE Z. MICHAELS. 

